15-05-2025
San Joaquin County, Dignity Health reach extension on management services
May 15—The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved a three-year extension of its management services agreement with Dignity Health to manage San Joaquin General Hospital.
The deal, which runs from July 1 of this year to June 30 of 2028, is worth just over $5.7 million. The county and Dignity Health, which is now known as CommonSpirit, have partnered on the hospital since 2022, when the board of supervisors found that San Joaquin General could operate more efficiently with a management agreement.
The deal was originally for an 18-month period with a 10-year option. The supervisors extended it for an additional 18 months in 2023, and the current deal was set to expire on June 30 of this year.
According to a press release from San Joaquin County, Dignity Health has implemented several changes in its time acting as management, including lowering the rate of SJGH-acquired infections, raising the hospital's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital safety grade rating from an F to a C, reducing incomplete patient records from 15,000 to less than 200, and financial improvements.
"Since the implementation of the Management Services Agreement, CommonSpirit Health and St. Joseph's Medical Center have had a profound impact on both financial and quality measures at San Joaquin General Hospital," said BJ Predum, Market President of Dignity Health Central Valley. "By improving and standardizing processes, I am proud of all that we have accomplished together to enhance the health and well being of the San Joaquin County community."
Added Paul Canepa, Chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, "Since the agreement began, the hospital has made great progress in improving patient care and its finances. We're excited to keep working together to build a strong, unified healthcare system that provides excellent care to everyone—no matter their ability to pay."
